


Baby

by jamesgatz1925



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: 5 + 1, AU, Developing Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-27
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-10-29 10:15:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20794988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jamesgatz1925/pseuds/jamesgatz1925
Summary: 5 times Sonny accidentally calls Rafael “baby”. One time he does it on purpose.





	Baby

** 1 **

Rafael paced back and forth in his office, staring down at his hand as he stepped. An hour ago, he got a splinter stuck in his hand from his bookshelf. Fifty-eight minutes ago, he became unable to think about anything other than the pain in his hand. He couldn’t hold a pen, he couldn’t hold his phone, he couldn’t think about anything other than the throbbing in his palm. 

Rafael had no choice. He called Carisi, the stupid mother-hen who he called with every small problem. 

Unfortunately, the other man was busy—stupid work, stupid case—and it had been an hour since Carisi said he’d stop by. 

But finally, Rafael heard the familiar footsteps right outside his office door. Carisi barged in a second later holding a single coffee. 

“Hey,” Carisi greeted. “What’s the big emergency? I got here as fast as I could.”

“My hero,” Rafael sarcastically replied. 

Carisi set his coffee down on the corner of Rafael’s desk. 

“And no coffee for me,” Rafael commented, still holding his own hand. 

“I figured, if you were dying? You wouldn’t need coffee.”

“You thought I was dying and it took you an hour to get here? And stopped for coffee?”

Carisi smiled. Rafael rolled his eyes. 

“Let’s get this over with,” Rafael muttered, stepping toward Carisi. 

“What’s the problem there, ace?”

Rafael held out his hand, practically underneath Carisi’s giant nose. 

Carisi looked at his hand. “Uh?”

Rafael rolled his eyes. “The splinter.”

Carisi squinted and seemed to search. “Ah, yeah, so it is,” he muttered. “That’s a bummer.”

Rafael rolled his eyes even harder. “Do something.”

Carisi snorted. “You call me over here sayin’ you have an emergency, you bitch ‘cause I took too long, ‘cause, y’know, my job, and now you won’t even ask nicely for me to assist you in this problem?”

Rafael resisted huffing and puffing and fighting back, in fear that Carisi would leave and he’d be stuck with the splinter in his hand. Instead, he simply asked, “Carisi, would you please get the splinter out of my hand?”

Carisi smiled. “See? Was that so hard?”

Yes, Rafael thought, but he didn’t say it. 

Carisi chuckled. “Okay, got any tweezers, then?”

Rafael just stared at him. 

Carisi lifted his eyebrows expectantly. 

“Sorry, I left them with my compact in my other purse.”

“God, you are such a bitch,” Carisi said before turning to the door. “Hang on,” he added. 

He left the room for about a second before returning with a tiny pair of tweezers. 

“Carmen deserves a raise for putting up with your ass and still having a smile on her face,” Carisi said when he returned.

“Noted,” Rafael replied. He held out his hand for Sonny. “Just get it over with.”

“Okay, okay,” Carisi mumbled before getting to work. “This may sting. I gotta dig a little.”

Rafael bit his lip as the cool tweezers touched his skin. He began to dig a little, like he said, and Rafael hissed. 

“It’s alright baby,” Carisi said, “Just a second...”

Rafael was so distracted by the ‘baby’ that he didn’t even feel Carisi yank the offending wood out. 

“Ta-da,” Carisi triumphantly said. 

Rafael stretched his hand. “I...thank you.”

“No problem,” Carisi said with a smile. 

Rafael ignored the ‘baby’ name for the time being. He could unpack that another time. Instead, he reprimanded Sonny for not bringing him a coffee until Sonny laughed. 

* * *

** 2 **

Court was hell. It usually was, just with general talking too much and draining, but this time, Rafael was sporting a pretty terrible headache that he was sure was a migraine. He rushed back to his office and tried not to throw up. 

Rafael dropped into his desk chair and rummaged around all of the drawers for some medicine. He felt like crying when there was none to be found; the pain in his head was excruciating. 

He buzzed Carmen’s desk. There was no answer. Rafael checked the time—lunch. With a frown, upset that he’d have to run out and get his own medicine, he gathered his wallet and phone and stood. 

Then, just as quickly fell down into the chair again. He couldn’t move. He wanted to close the blinds, shut off the lights, and cry. 

There was one other option. Luckily, he knew Carisi wasn’t that busy yet because he was just in court. He probably wasn’t even at the precinct yet. 

Rafael quickly found Carisi’s name on his Favorites List. He put the phone on speaker so it wasn’t directly on his ear and waited for Carisi to pick up. 

Finally, he did. “What’s up, Barba?”

“Carisi,” Rafael breathed out. 

“What’s wrong?” Carisi immediately asked. 

“Migraine. I need something.”

“Like medicine?”

“Mhm.”

“Alright, baby, I got you. Sit tight, I’ll be right there.”

Rafael was soothed by the pet-name, then hung up and rested his head on his desk. 

He must have fallen asleep because Carisi arrived about four seconds later. He helped Rafael into a sitting position, then pressed a water bottle and then some pills against his lips. 

“There you go, Raf, you’re good. Now, can you stand up? Maybe head for the couch?”

Rafael slowly got up and Sonny helped him to the couch. Sonny removed his shoes and loosened his tie. 

“Thank you, Carisi.”

“I told Lieu I’d be working from here for a while, so I’ll hang out ‘til I can drive you home.”

Rafael thought he said thank you, but he must have just drifted off to sleep. The last thing he knew was Carisi gently stroking his sweaty hair back. 

* * *

** 3 **

Rafael jolted awake, immediately sitting straight up in bed and highly alert. Someone was jiggling the doorknob of his front door. Instead of cowering, hiding in the pure ice cold fear that struck his veins, he did the next best thing: he picked up his phone and called Carisi. 

Rafael’s heart pounded so hard he briefly wondered if Carisi could hear it over the phone. He decided not to leave his bed because the doorknob jiggled again, but he silently prayed that Carisi would pick up. 

“‘Lo?” Carisi finally answered. 

“Carisi,” Rafael whispered. “Someone’s trying to get in my apartment.”

“Uh...huh?” Carisi asked, and Rafael was sure he was trying to wake up. 

“Someone’s trying to get into my apartment.”

“Oh shit. Where are you?”

Rafael heard shuffling. “In my bed.”

“K, baby, don’t move. I’ll be there...oomf—“ 

Rafael wondered if Carisi fell out of bed or tripped. He really didn’t want Carisi to come over; checking his phone, he found it was just after two. The rustling outside had stopped, anyway. 

“No, no, I think I’m okay. I just got scared.”

“I know. I told you to call me. Seriously, I’ll be right there—“

Rafael’s phone pinged with a text. He pulled it away from his face and read the message. It was from his next door neighbor, and it read, “Sorry, wrong door.”

Rafael sighed. It was just his idiot neighbor. 

“Carisi, it’s fine. It was just my neighbor.”

“Oh,” Carisi breathed. “Good. You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. Go back to sleep.”

“‘Kay, you too.”

Rafael was soothed enough to lay back down, but still so nervous that he couldn’t go to sleep right away. Luckily, he had Carisi’s deep-sleep voice muttering ‘baby’ over and over in his mind to help him sleep. 

* * *

** 4 **

Rafael did not drive in New York for a reason. 

He didn’t drive at all, but that was beside the point. 

Even using a compass, the man had no sense of direction. He knew his apartment was on a higher street number than the courthouse, he knew the Bronx was North. He knew, theoretically, where places were located, but unless he could count the street directions from point-A to point-B, he had no idea where anything was. He couldn’t even read a map. 

Carisi always drove. Carisi liked to drive, that’s what he’d told Rafael during one of their first trips out of town. He liked to just think and not really have to worry about anything but the road. He thought it was calming. 

He was not calm now. 

“Jesus Christ, Barba, have you ever been to Manhattan? Do you...do you even live here?”

Rafael sighed. “It’s not relevant to me!”

“What if you were alone, huh? And you had to...had to get to the Met or something. How do you get around?”

Smartly, Rafael replied, “I tell the cab driver to go to the Met.”

“My god. Just tell me which side of the street the place is on.”

Rafael looked down at Carisi’s phone in his hand. Carisi had Google Mapped the apartment where they were going to meet the victim. He only did so he could know which route to take because of the usual city traffic. And, apparently, to yell at Rafael over reading the damn thing. 

“Uh...” Rafael turned the phone in his hand so the speaker was pointed to his belly. The map didn’t look any less confusing. “Uh...”

“Barba!”

“North!” Rafael yelled. Guessed. 

“We’re going south! If we’re going south, the building has to be on the east or the west!”

“We’re going south?”

“Baby, 5th only goes south!”

Rafael would not let himself be distracted by the pet-name. Carisi didn’t mean it anyway. It was a...moment thing, Rafael knew. Just a momentary lapse of something. 

“Maybe...” Rafael muttered, not really wanting to offer what he was about to say. “Maybe I should drive so you can—“

“Oh, fuck no I’m not letting you behind the wheel of a car.”

“Oh thank god,” Rafael replied. 

Sonny began to chuckle. It bubbled slowly, and Rafael caught on, too. Sonny checked his mirrors and merged into the right lane, but left his blinker on. 

“What are you doing?” Rafael asked. 

“Well, I’d better pull over to check my phone. But there’s also a Starbucks right there, so I think you owe me coffee for the aneurism you’re about to give me.”

He parked the car in a blessedly open spot and took his phone back. Rafael gazed at him, checking to see if Carisi was joking about the coffee. 

Carisi didn’t move. Rafael realized he was serious. 

“Unbelievable,” Rafael muttered as he unbuckled his seatbelt. 

“Smartest guy I know can’t read a fucking map—“

Rafael chuckled. “Fuck off,” he mumbled as he opened the door. 

“Three creams.”

Rafael rolled his eyes, then made his way into Starbucks. 

* * *

** 5 **

Work was so slow. There were no crimes to be committed that particular Tuesday, so Sonny and Rollins were taking the afternoon to sort out paperwork. They were on a roll, and Sonny was sure he’d be able to get home at a decent hour. He was looking forward to actually cooking for dinner. He was looking forward to going to bed on time, getting a full night’s sleep. He thought he’d even indulge and catch up on The Great British Baking Show. 

Then, the phone rang. The office phone. Rollins grabbed it before Sonny even processed that it was ringing; she was waiting for something to do, too. 

“Rollins—huh? Yeah, he’s right here.—Uh...face down on his desk.—Must be on silent.—Kay, I’ll get you through.” She presses a button on her phone and hung up. 

“Your baby’s on line two.”

Sonny was in the middle of getting a thought on paper and didn’t really hear what she said. He did and didn’t. It just didn’t click. 

“Who?” 

“Your baby.”

Now, Sonny caught it. “My what?”

“Your baby. Barba.”

Sonny dropped the pen out of his hand. “My  what ?”

“Jesus Christ. What’s wrong with you?”

“If it’s Barba, why do you keep saying that?”

“Have never noticed that you call Barba that all the time?”

“Fuck, I don’t.”

Rollins lifted an eyebrow. “I can think of at least half a dozen times that you’ve called him baby in my presence.”

“No. What? No. I don’t do that.”

“You do. And he’s on line two.”

“When have I ever—“

“Uh, last week when he won the Kramer case. Three weeks ago when you made him laugh so hard he literally did a spit-take. Two months ago when he called you with an emergency and it was a goddamn splinter. Line two.”

“No...”

“I thought you were together, but I don’t think you are. I don’t think you could hide the ‘I-Just-Got-Laid-And-It-Was-Barba’ glow. Line two.”

“There’s not—we’re not—“

“Would you just fucking answer it!”

Sonny punched the call-waiting button and grabbed the phone. “What?!” he answered, then realized he’d just yelled at Barba. He cleared his throat and tried again. “I mean, hello?”

“You okay?”

No! Sonny thought. But he didn’t say that. 

“Yeah. What’s up?”

“Just wondering if you’re free for lunch.”

“Uh, sure. Let me just finish this stuff up. Twenty minutes?”

“Sure. I’ll head that way.”

“Great. See you.”

Sonny hung up. He began to gather the papers he was working on. 

“Barba calls, you fucking jump.”

Sonny glared. “I do not.”

“What does he need? Splinter again? Need help opening his water bottle? Need you to tie his shoe?”

Sonny continued to clean up his desk. “We’re going to lunch.”

Rollins smiled. “Have a good time with your baby.”

Sonny remembered that. “Wait, I’ve done that many times, and Barba’s never said anything?”

Rollins shrugged. “I guess.”

“Wh—why? Why would he—“

“He probably likes it.”

Sonny wanted to argue. But he didn’t. He had a lot to mull over. And lunch to get to. 

* * *

** +1 **

‘Five minutes’ Sonny’s text read. Rafael read it three times, the smile on his face growing each second. 

He didn’t even bother replying, because Sonny would be there soon. Besides, Rafael didn’t have any more time to waste on his phone. He wasn’t even wearing pants. And, apparently, they were going to a nice place. Pants were required. Sonny said so. 

Rafael finished getting dressed, complete with a dashing green tie that made his eyes sparkle. Once his shoes were on, he went into the living room to gather his wallet and keys. He checked his reflection in the entry mirror, making sure his hair was alright. 

Almost exactly five minutes after the text was received, the buzzer buzzed. Rafael pressed the button to let Sonny up, then his stomach buzzed just as frantically as the alarm. He was excited, as usual. He always was. It was exciting. Electric. 

The knock at the door jolted Rafael. He quickly—not too quickly, not to seem like he was waiting by the door—which he was—opened the door. Waiting briefly was a lanky detective. He looked gorgeous. 

Sonny swept into the apartment, close to Rafael. “Hi baby,” he said, leaning in for a smacking hello-kiss. It was fast, almost too fast. Rafael almost pulled him in for another. 

“Mind if I use the restroom before we go?” Sonny asked. “I just slammed a grande latte. Gotta take a leak.”

“Romantic. You know where it is.”

Sonny gave a thumbs-up and walked down the hallway. He left the door open. Rafael chuckled as he could hear Sonny. 

Rafael called down to him, “What did I tell you about drinking coffee after five P.M.?”

“Uh, okay, pot. I’m the kettle.”

“Yeah, but you get all wired! You know I don’t like dealing with your bouncing feet in bed.”

The toilet flushed. The sink turned on. Rafael waited as Sonny washed his hands, then joined him in the entry again. 

“Fine,” Sonny said when he returned. “I drank a big glass of water.”

“Objection, your honor,” Rafael joked. “The witness changed his story.”

“What are you gonna do?” Sonny playfully asked. “Hold me in contempt?” He leaned forward, the smirk on his face flirting with Rafael and daring him to rebut. 

“I was promised a nice dinner,” Rafael said, not playing back.

Sonny kissed him quickly anyway. Then, he stood up and grabbed Rafael’s hand. “Okay, let’s go.”

Rafael smiled as he followed Sonny. His baby. 


End file.
